Reverse Scale (2)
The Blood Brain Parasite. Originally, it was nothing more than a low-grade magic beast crafted for torturing prisoners within the dungeon. In terms of combat prowess alone, it was so pathetic that it deserved every bit of scorn as the weakest of the weak. But the true value of this parasitic worm lay not in battle.
It burrowed into the brain while the victim was still alive, sifting through their memories piece by piece. That was the worm's sole reason for existing.
When she needed to extract information from dungeon intruders, Crimson always relied on these things.
"Gaaargh!"
The man clawed at the ground like a madman. Even as his nails splintered and blood smeared everywhere, he didn't stop. But Eugene's gaze didn't waver in the slightest.
With Kim Seokdu, there had been at least a flicker of emotion. Not this time. His heart burned with pure rage.
These scum had crossed a line they absolutely should not have. They'd dared to utter Sua's name. And used it as a threat.
That alone was reason enough to kill these pieces of trash. Mercy was a luxury he couldn't afford.
Eugene slowly raised one hand. Sensations linked to the Blood Brain Parasite flooded back into his mind like a reverse torrent.
Static.
Noise like an old film reel forcibly spinning. Then, fragments of the man's memories surfaced in chaotic bursts.
A dark warehouse. Rusty iron doors. An unidentified black pattern drawn on the floor. People bound in iron chains. Eyes blindfolded, mouths gagged. Faces drained of color.
And then—a white snake emblem. The mark of the Baeksa Guild.
'Baeksa Guild...'
Eugene's brow furrowed at the unfamiliar name. But the real shock came next.
"This batch is seven."
A stranger's voice echoed. Cold baritone, devoid of any emotion.
-Match the numbers by midnight the day after tomorrow. Fall short, and you'll fill the gap yourselves.
In the memory, the man trembled uncontrollably. At the end of his gaze stood figures in black clothes. Their faces were obscured. But they felt less like humans and more like grotesque husks wearing human skin.
Static.
"Korean Hospital. The target's little sister is there. Stand by to grab her the moment the order comes. You're on surveillance for that guy."
The scene twisted again. A memory of receiving orders from some unidentified superior.
"Understood, Director."
The man in the memory bowed obsequiously. The target: a cold, snake-like man with glasses. They called him "Director"—Choi Siljang.
At the mention of his little sister, black mist rippled deep in Eugene's eyes. The surrounding air chilled with a sharp crackle, sinking like frozen lead. Fury boiled up from the pit of his stomach. His heart pounded as if it might burst. Oxygen couldn't even reach his lungs, choked by rage.
Had he ever felt murderous intent this venomous toward anyone? No. Never.
Static.
The memories didn't stop.
Incheon outskirts. Abandoned logistics warehouse. Iron stairs leading underground.
"Team 3, standby at the hospital. Team 2, monitor the target. Grab him the second he's alone."
Eugene's fists clenched. Veins bulged on the back of his hands, ready to snap.
Slither.
The Blood Brain Parasite slowly crawled out of the man's ear canal. Slimy mucus coated each red segment. Having had his memories utterly violated, the man was no longer sane. He just stared blankly into space, drool spilling endlessly.
Eugene looked down at him wordlessly. The grotesque memories of the Baeksa Guild that the worm had scraped together poured into his mind.
This wasn't human behavior. It went far beyond simple kidnapping or human trafficking—pure madness. They were endlessly offering sacrifices to someone. Tributes. And Sua's name was among them.
The realization hit, and a dark, alien aura exploded around Eugene like a shockwave.
He flicked his finger toward the ground. His shadow beneath rippled in acknowledgment, swelling massively. It spread wide like a gaping maw. Black hands seized the scattered corpse chunks littering the alley and dragged them into the darkness.
Gulp.
Not even the bloodstains on the pavement remained. As if nothing had happened from the start.
The alley fell silent once more.
Behind the hospital parking lot, in a dim smoking area rarely trod by anyone. Two men in suits leaned against the wall, puffing cigarette smoke. One eyed the hospital entrance. The other scanned the emergency room alley.
"How long do we have to wait...?"
The man glanced at his watch with a click of his tongue. Three hours already. Sitting on the street like this was pushing his limits.
The other stubbed out his spent cigarette on the ground, grinding it irritably under his heel.
"No word from the Director?"
"Not yet. Sigh..."
A heavy sigh spread through the quiet. As he turned his irritated face—
Whoosh.
A cold gust brushed their backs. It wasn't ordinary wind. Their skin prickled, goosebumps racing across their bodies. Like the hand of a corpse lightly grazing their napes...
Gooseflesh erupted on the man's neck.
"...What the hell?"
He rubbed his neck instinctively. Sure, it was a winter dawn—cold as hell. But that wasn't just chill air.
"What's up?"
"Something just..."
He trailed off, scanning around. Empty. Parking lot, smoking area, the dim alley behind the hospital—all deserted.
It should be empty. But something felt off. Something had stepped into this place. Or maybe...
It had been standing here all along.
His gaze drifted slowly to the ground.
"You two?"
A calm voice from behind. But the killing intent rippling within was colder than a blade.
"......!"
Their bodies froze like stone. Snapping to, they screamed.
"T-The target!"
"How the fuck did he get here?!"
Instinctively, they grabbed weapons. One drew a mana-infused dagger from his coat. The other reached to cast a spell.
But Eugene didn't twitch. He just raised a hand with a dry gaze.
Crunch!
"Guhk!"
The dagger-wielder slammed into the side wall. An invisible colossal force crushed his entire body. Crack—ribs pulverized to dust. Crimson blood gushed from his mouth.
"N-No way...! He's a summoner! How's he casting magic?!"
A horrified shriek. The man's fingers trembled uselessly. Forget incantations—the monster's presence alone choked him.
"You bastard...!"
The remaining one gritted his teeth, squeezing out mana. A whip-like flame lash shot toward Eugene's neck and wrists.
But just before impact—
Rip!
From the thick shadow at Eugene's feet, grotesque black hands erupted. They snatched the airborne mana lash mid-flight and tore it like paper.
Sizzle—mana remnants scattered harmlessly.
"I told you."
Eugene's voice sank low.
"You crossed the line."
Crunch!
This time, the man's legs buckled first. Knees folding backward in a gruesome snap. A wretched scream erupted.
"Gaaargh!"
He collapsed, scrambling to crawl away for survival. But Eugene's shadow was far faster. A black hand shot out, seizing his nape and yanking him skyward in one motion.
"S-Spare me...! W-We were just following orders! The Director made us do it!"
Writhing and begging on the ground—what a spectacle. Eugene's gaze looking down was icy cold.
"I know."
His lips parted dryly.
"That's why you die even more."
"...What?"
The man's eyes widened in shock. Recalling the vile memories from the Blood Brain Parasite, Eugene stepped closer.
"Dug through your heads. Your sins are way too many to wash away with 'just orders.'"
This wasn't something dismissible as obedience. Every grotesque memory from the Baeksa Guild members flashed through Eugene's mind, his shadow growling hungrily like a starved beast.
"No mercy for those who've abandoned their humanity."
Splat!
The airborne man's body smashed headfirst into the hospital outer wall. Once. Boom! Twice. Boom! On the third impact, his limbs went limp. Blood trickled down the wall.
The first one embedded in the wall was already dead. Chest caved in, neck twisted unnaturally.
Short. Too short to even call it a fight.
Eugene gazed dryly at the blood-soaked wall, floor, and corpses. No pity, no hesitation in his eyes.
Soon, thick crimson mist rose like heat haze from the shadow at his feet.
Anyone who touched Sua would be executed without exception. Even if it meant the whole world.
'I promised.'
It was the brand he'd etched into himself, the one truth sworn before his father.
Eugene's fists clenched again. The shadow, infused with bloody mist, twisted grotesquely, mirroring its master's fury.
"Contact's cut off?"
Choi Siljang's words made his subordinate gulp dryly. One wrong word, and he might be the next crushed.
"Y-Yes, Director..."
Choi Siljang stubbed out his cigarette roughly in the ashtray. Hiss—embers crushed. Silence followed, choking like a noose.
He slowly raised his head. Eyes glinting coldly behind glasses, snake-like.
The team he'd sent weren't street trash. Elite C-rank Awakeners, packed tight. Synced right, they could hunt B-ranks easy. Not like when Kim Seokdu got taken out.
And now, that whole team vanished without a trace?
His eyes narrowed sharply. Failure would've been preferable. This felt like a signal. Instinct screamed: Rethink the strategy from scratch. Against that enigma called Eugene the Summoner.
Choi Siljang tapped the desk lightly. He'd clawed from the bottom on gut alone. And now, it warned him down his spine.
One way only.
"Grab that hospital bitch. Now."
"Y-Yes sir!"
As the subordinate bolted, Choi Siljang lit a fresh cigarette. Not nerves. Just cold calculation demanding surer means.
'E-rank Summoner? Bullshit.'
Kim Seokdu gone. Now a C-rank elite team evaporated. Minimum B-rank—or equivalent threat.
Against that? No head-on. 'Hit the sure weak spot...'
A venomous smile curled his lips. No need to overthink. Snag the helpless girl in that bed, and it ends.
Villains aside, so-called "good guys" crumble when hostages hit.
'Emotional types are easy to handle.'
Then—
All lights died. No mere blackout. Emergency power failed too. Perfect darkness.
Sweat beaded on Choi Siljang's forehead. Even he, a B-rank, felt suffocating pressure. Not mana. Pure presence—overwhelming killing intent from a superior being.
He'd felt this before. Terror buried deep resurfaced. Something beyond human specs. A chill only from the one he revered as god now swept his body.
"Who—?!"
He flicked on his smartphone flashlight, yelling. Light pierced the dark—and he doubted his eyes.
The subordinate who'd just left stood at the door. No—neck grotesquely twisted, body floating midair. Black hands from the shadow held him like a puppet.
From the darkness behind the corpse, a man emerged. Face lit by the phone: impassive, eyes like fathomless abysses.
"Eu-Eugene...?"
Choi Siljang's eyes bulged in horror. Report of the surveillance team down was mere minutes ago. How already here? Straight to the heart of this veiled secret hideout?
'Impossible. We didn't even track his path!'
His mind blanked. As he backpedaled toward the desk's hidden panic button—
"Gurk!!"
No scream escaped. Space warped grotesquely. His body hurled toward Eugene like sucked into a black hole. Irresistible gravitational pull.
Crunch!
Eugene's hand snagged his nape instantly. Dangling midair, flailing—the mighty guild director reduced to pathetic rags.
"......"
Eugene said nothing. Just stared dryly at the prey asphyxiating in his grip.
"Y-You bastard! Touch me, and no matter how strong you are, you won't walk away!"
Choi Siljang's squeezed words were more shriek than threat. Death loomed, yet he clung to bluster.
"Know who's backing our guild? That one is...!"
"That one?"
Eugene spoke at last. Low voice scraping his eardrums coldly.
"I didn't come all this way for that crap."
Crack!
Eugene's grip tightened. Choi Siljang's neck vertebrae screamed, twisting.
As he foamed and thrashed, Eugene whispered hellishly cold into his ear.
"The moment you filthy mouths uttered Sua's name, your 'backer' stopped mattering."
Black mist exploded from Eugene's feet. A Blood Brain Parasite crawled from the rift, skittering over Choi Siljang's face.
Eugene's eyes flashed red.
"I'll rip every last bit from your depths. Right down to who that backer is."
"N-No! Please...!"
Choi Siljang's desperate wail tore the hideout's air. He'd fucked up. Royally, irreversibly.
At first, a joke. Unaffiliated E-rank Summoner, no guild. Baeksa had it. His power had it. Snag the sister's leash, he'd crawl begging.
Terrified tears, pleas for life. That's what he'd believed.
Reality? Opposite. The instant Sua's name dropped, the man stopped being human. Icy eyes. Crimson-glinting killing intent. That gaze saw him as dead meat already.
Choi Siljang's breath hitched. Wrong target didn't cover it. He'd scratched a monster's reverse scale.
"You gave the orders? Then you take the blame."
Eugene's lips parted dryly. His shadow twisted with a starving beast's growl.
Roar!!
The hideout wall exploded in a boom. From the breach leaped a form redder than blood, blacker than night.
Blood wolf. Fur hardened like crusted gore, gaping maw reeking of iron blood. Fresh flesh scraps clung unchewed between fangs—other hideout scum already hunted.
Lick.
Tongue rasping its muzzle, blood droplets pattered down.
"......!!"
Choi Siljang's eyes drowned in terror. Even he, B-rank, had never seen such an off-spec magic beast.
"...Eat."
Eugene's curt command. The signal.
Chomp!
The blood wolf's massive jaws engulfed Choi Siljang's lower half whole. Simultaneously, the worm burrowed into his ear, ravaging deep brain tissue.
"Gu, gaaargh! Sp-Spare...!"
Brain-searing agony above, bone-crushing rupture below. His death throes turned metallic as the worm hijacked his nerves.
Crunch, snap!
One mastication crumpled his pelvis like paper. Splattered gore flew past Eugene's face.
"...Don't die yet."
Eugene murmured low.
"Gotta scrape every filthy secret from that brain of yours. Not leaving a single one."
Lower body vanished into the wolf's gut, brain gnawed by worm. Choi Siljang's eyes rolled back, whites only.
The most wretched, miserable end a human could meet.